Author: Teresa Wrobleski

STEAM Festival

Teresa Wrobleski

I enjoyed the STEAM Festival. I think it’s definitely a good idea to get Macaulay students from different years and campuses together and have them interact, since it really is hard to connect with people who seem so far away. I liked seeing everyone’s presentations. Some of them were really impressive. I also liked the Makerspace area.

I do think that everything was really loosely organized from our perspective. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I had the feeling there were more things I should have been doing, even though there wasn’t anything I was “supposed” to be doing. I feel like there could be a little more clarity on what exactly was expected of us while we were there.

World of Sound: Rubin Museum

Teresa Wrobleski

I was impressed by the amount of effort the entire museum put towards this exhibit. It wasn’t just one area that was immersed in it, the central staircase was an integral part of getting visitors engaged with the exhibit.

I also liked the variety of things that were shown. Not only items, but concepts and sounds were put on display. I liked the interactive portions, especially the “Om” Room and the prayer areas. Both transported you into the exhibit fully, in a way that you can’t get just by looking at artifacts.

I thought our tour guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. I think she mentioned that she had really gotten into studying sound as a concept and it showed in how she led us around. I really appreciated having someone passionate explain the exhibit to us because it was a way for us to get enthusiastic about it too.

Turandot: Scenic Design

Teresa Wrobleski

Turandot takes place in, by the script, Peking, China, but draws it’s design from a more nebulous “Asian” aesthetic that was popular at the time the opera was written. Since it’s first run, large, ornate set pieces matched just as over-the-top costumes. The Met Opera revival plays heavily with thematic coloring.

Each act takes place in a specific area, with the first being in the town square, the second in the royal court, and the third being in a more secluded garden area of the palace that then transitions to the interior court.

The town square is in grey and cool blue tones, which neatly play into the them of Turandot being the light of this country, as her entrance gives one of the few spots of color in this area. This coloring also gives the effect of mourning, as yet another prince has just been killed for failing Turandot’s test.

The royal court is a sharp contrast to the dour look of the town square. It is completely in bright, pale gold, thus showing the opulence and wealth of the nobility. An interesting design choice is the circular river running under the set. In many cultures, water represents serenity, thus giving the throne room a more cultured look, instead of being gaudy.

The river also makes an appearance in the third act, which connects the garden area to the throne room, showing that the cast is still in the palace. It is lit with small lights underneath, which give a more mystical feeling to it. This area is in more blue and green tones, giving more of a sense of traquility, despite the panicked actions of Turandot. However, it is in this place that she finally becomes calm and accepts her fate. It is also a slightly more private and secluded place, being inside the palace, which is ideal for Turandot to fall in love here.

The garden area transitions into throne room to end the show, having a backdrop lift up to reveal the rest of the stage. The stage at the Met Opera House is extremely deep, much more so than it is wide. Thus, it is able to have enough room for a distinct set in front of an entirely different set.

Torch Song: Costumes

Teresa Wrobleski

Torch Song takes place in the 1970s to early 1980s. The costuming is very of it’s time: t-shirts and jeans are the most common attire. Though it seems simple, these costumes send a message. The main character, Arnold, is an outsider to much of the world. However, he looks and dresses like any other person when he isn’t working. All other characters follow suit and in this way, LGBT+ people, specifically gay men who are often subject to stereotypes regarding the way they look and act, are normalized.

There are other, smaller things that are told through the costuming. Ed is first shown in a very clean cut outfit, with khakis and loafers to contrast Arnold, who was dressed in an over-the-top drag outfit. Ed keeps himself regimented in the way eh acts: despite his relationship with Arnold, he still meets with a girl his parents want him to be with. Despite being unhappy with her, he stays with her. Ed tries to fit himself into the norm of how people “should” be, act, and look like and this is shown in how she presents himself to the world. Similarly, in the third act, after he leaves his marriage and starts integrating his life back into Arnold’s, he dresses much more comfortably. He wears jeans like the other two men. In fact, Arnold, Ed, and David all wear striped shirts, which gives them a sense of unity. The pattern makes it easy to tell that they are a group, even with slight color variations.

Fall for Dance: The Trisha Brown Dance Company

Teresa Wrobleski
Trisha Brown

The Trisha Brown Dance Company was founded in 1970 by it’s owner and main choreographer, Trisha Brown. Brown was already well-known for her experimental pieces in the 1960s in what were called “equipment prices” where dancers used items such as harnesses and wires to simulate walking in mid-air. This type of postmodern dance became her trademark though she regularly changed the themes and methods of how she danced and choreographed others.

In the 1980s, she began to create large-scale pieces that were intended to be performed onstage, as opposed to some of her previous on-location pieces. She collaborated with Robert Rauschenberg for costumes and sets on may of her most well-known works of this period, such as Astral Convertible. Other collaborators of this time included Laurie Anderson, Nancy Graves, and Donald Judd.

During this time period, Brown solidified her position as as innovative choreographer and a major contributor to the world of postmodern dance. Trish Brown passed away in March 2017, but her company survives to perform her pieces to this day.

Look, Look Again:The Arch, Henrey Ossawa Tanner

Teresa Wrobleski

It’s of Washington Square Park. You can see the fountain through the opening of the archway. It’s lit up with a soft golden light and draws t

The Arch, Henrey Ossawa Tanner

he eye because the rest of the piece is in shades of blue and green. The lighting and colors seem to me like the hour or so right before sunrise. It’s still night, or rather, early morning. I like the whole setting.

 

Coming back to this painting, I’m noticing the intricacies of the arch and fountain. I feel like the artist spent a lot of time sketching the arch and looking at it and studying it before this painting was completed. The fountain also has a lot of detail, even though it’s only half visible through the archway. In contrast, or rather, as a balance, here’s almost nothing in the background. It’s just a wash of blue, lighter than the arch, but still a very rich blue. The colors would fit in underwater scene.